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Posts Tagged ‘computer’

When people say that we’re living in a post PC era, they’re typically only looking at sales of prebuilt systems — the HP, Dell and Lenovo “PCs in a box” that grace the shelves of your local retailers. Those numbers, however, fail to take component sales and custom builds into consideration. (Sacrilege!) Now, a new report highlights just what we’re missing by omitting component sales: Jon Peddie Research, a prominent research firm, says that PC gaming hardware sales will hit $23.6 billion — that’s “billion,” with a “B” — in sales by the end of the year.

The sales will … [Read More...]

The only reason to consider a folding bike is if you really need a bike that folds.

For the general cycling public, they are impractical machines. The tiny wheels, odd weight distribution and freaky frame shape all make for an awkward ride filled with huffing and puffing. But for those forced to take a commuter train or subway, they’re a godsend. Fold up your ride, and you can bring it with you on crowded trains and buses. Stash it in the closet at work or … [Read More...]

With May 15th less than two weeks away, it’s no surprise that the Diablo III hype train is starting to chug along at full speed. Blizzard opened the game’s doors to everybody with a Battle.net account for an open beta a couple of weekends back, and in the past few days, the company has released a slick new TV trailer and unveiled the fee structure for Diablo III’s controversial auction house item-selling feature. (You know, the one that “forced” Blizzard to invoke always-on DRM, even for single player mode.) Are you ready to get gouged?

The how-to and FAQ pages … [Read More...]

Motorola Mobility has won an injunction against several Microsoft properties in Germany, including Windows 7, Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, and even the Xbox 360 game console. After initially postponing the ruling, Judge Dr. Holger Kircher of the Landgericht Mannheim (Mannheim Regional Court) issued his ruling on four of Motorola’s complaints against Microsoft, ultimately awarding the mobile device maker an injunction against Microsoft on two patents.

Foss Patents, which first reported on the ruling, says the patents pertain to an “adaptive motion compensation using a plurarlity of motion compensators” and an “adaptive compression of digital video data.” These are a … [Read More...]

“Aerodynamics,” Enzo Ferrari once said, “are for people who cannot build engines.”

Ferrari built his eponymous brand on the back of exceptional powerplants — a series of small-displacement engines, chiefly V-12s, designed by legendary names like Jano, Lampredi and Colombo. They were artful pieces, hand-crafted works that produced great power and unholy noise. They collected races and championships like a fameballer gathers marriage certificates.

Check Point appears to be on a mission to prove you don’t need to pay for full-fledged PC security, a motto that sits well with Maximum PC readers and enthusiasts in general. Starting today, you can download Check Point’s ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall 2013, purportedly “the most complete free Internet security solution for consumers,” at absolutely no charge. You can’t beat the price, but can you beat the security?

That’s something we look forward to testing. In the meantime, some key features include a robust antivirus and spyware scan engine that scans, detects, and removes both known and unknown … [Read More...]

The Nvidia GTX 690 is real, and it’s amazing — both in specs and in price. But while the tech world swooned at the announcement of the dual-GPU behemoth, another new product outlined at the GTX 690′s unveiling holds even more intriguing potential for the gaming world at large: the cloud-based “GeForce Experience,” which promises to automatically optimize the graphics settings in games based on the components in your individual PC.

It’s all based around an Internet connection and (presumably Nvidia-powered) GeForce Experience supercomputers, which scan your system configuration when you boot up a game. Hardware components, operating system, driver … [Read More...]

The Jambox is back. But now, little baby’s all grown up.

The Big Jambox from Jawbone (yes, the hands-free headset people) builds upon the success of the company’s original Jambox portable speaker, keeping the attractive no-frills design, but wrapping it around a larger box that’s louder and has more battery life.

The new model will be available this week at a price of $300. That’s pretty steep for a portable speaker, and a full $100 more than … [Read More...]

This week we are happy to be joined by Acer for our weekly Tech Tuesday Live Twitter Chat #winchat. The hip PC company will be joining us to talk about a few of their hottest PCs on the market including the Acer Aspire S3 and the Acer Aspire TimelineX. Both PCs have a lot to offer from sleek slim designs to great battery life to USB 3.0 always on ports.

Prior to the chat, you may want to get up to date on the products by checking out their website or their Facebook page. While on their Facebook page, don’t … [Read More...]

It remains to be seen if Windows Phone 7 can bring Nokia back from the dead, though if you ask Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak, Microsoft may have somehow managed to bring back Steve Jobs instead. We are assuming he’s joking, but those are still pretty strong praise of a once former rival. Based on the context, it sounds of it he was referring to how well Microsoft nailed the UI experience, which most people credit as the platforms strongest selling point. In a recent interview with The Verge, Woz declared that Windows Phone is like being “with a friend, not … [Read More...]

Pamela Nguyen is an upcoming graduate of New York University and founder of Surviving College, a blog dedicated to helping students navigate the ins and outs of college. She is constantly on the lookout for nifty tools that will make a busy (and poor) college student’s life much easier. A self-proclaimed interior design junkie, Pamela also runs the interior design blog, Redesign Revolution.

I can hear a collective groan throughout campus when a professor utters the phrase "group projects." You might recall the graphics and memes depicting the expectations versus reality when faced with a group project that … [Read More...]

Whatever Nvidia plans on announcing at the GeForce LAN/NVIDIA Gaming Festival in Shanghai tomorrow, it’s going to be hard-pressed to live up to the hype leading up to its unveiling. The PC gaming community has been a-flutter since the first ominous “IT’S COMING” message hit Nvidia’s Facebook page over a week ago. Nvidia’s just sent a kick-ass custom crowbar and some cryptic confirmations to the Maximum PC offices in anticipation of tomorrow’s big news.

Just what the heck is it supposed to signify? We have no friggin’ idea. The mixture of zombies, crowbars and Nvidia is definitely intriguing, though. Gordon … [Read More...]

Love between mother and child is one of the deepest and most universal bonds there is. In celebration of Mother’s Day, the new Furry Families theme depicts motherly love of many species, including lions, otters, polar bears, horses, foxes, and prairie dogs. Maybe you can grab Mom’s laptop when she’s not looking and install this theme on it.

In case you have an older version of Windows, or prefer to just use a single desktop image instead of a theme, we’ve published a few of these images as standalone wallpapers, too:

These aren’t new, but apparently mothers also appreciate roses … [Read More...]

Jamielyn is the founder and managing editor of iheartnaptime.net. She is married to he  best friend and together they have two beautiful children just under two years apart. Her days are filled with lots of snuggles, crafts, e-mails, avoiding the ever-growing pile of laundry, play dough, sneaking bites of chocolate and wondering, “Is it nap time yet?!” I Heart Nap Time is a creative site sharing DIY home projects on a budget, crafts, sewing tutorials, easy recipes, tips and techniques. Connect with Jamielyn on Facebook or Twitter.

Every few years, I find myself wanting a new laptop. … [Read More...]

As far as quantum computing breakthroughs go, this latest one by a team of researchers from the U.S., Australia and South Africa is truly special. According to the researchers, a tiny crystal comprising only 300 atoms developed by them has paved the way for a “huge leap” in computing. A leap so vast, these researchers claim, that it would take a supercomputer larger than the known universe to do the kind of calculations possible with their “quantum simulator,” a special type of quantum computer. Hit the jump for more.

“Computing technology has taken a huge leap forward using a crystal … [Read More...]

“Something’s different,” my friend grumbles from behind the wheel of my 2012 BMW 3-series test car.

He should know. His garage houses a last-gen BMW 330i and the cultishly track-focused Honda S2000. My buddy is cursed with a freakish attention to detail and an enthusiast’s acuity for stuff like steering feel and pedal feedback. He doesn’t use words like “delicious” and “transparent” when describing said qualities — that’s a job for scribes like me — but it’s just as well.

My response is quick: “Electric steering,” the modern alternative to a good ol’ … [Read More...]

Leisure Suit Larry is returning to the Land of the Lounze Lizards, and it’s all because of the generosity of thousands of nostalgic old school adventure gamers who pledged the necessary half a million dollars to make it happen. With six days to spare, Al Lowe, creator of the original Larry games and not the last two abominations that sullied the franchise, is promising more content if pledges top $750,000.

Fans of the original games will be happy to know that Al Lowe is in full control of the remake, which promises to add improved graphics, a revamped interface, and … [Read More...]

Love gaming on Linux but don’t have a taste for Wine? Look for a nice hot helping of Steam-brewed titles to come to the rescue sometime in the future. After a couple of years of rumors — and denials — that Valve was working on a Linux port of its blockbuster Steam service, it looks like the project is actually happening. Valve recently invited Mike Larabel, the man behind the Phoronix website for Linux lovers, out to the company’s offices to give him a glimpse of the Steam for Linux in action.

Larabel’s reporting of the experience is getting hammered … [Read More...]